Henry D. Felton IV, bank executive

He had been on board of trustees of Stevenson University

Henry D. Felton (Baltimore Sun )

January 28, 2014|By Jacques Kelly, The Baltimore Sun

Henry Dilworth Felton IV, a retired bank executive and business owner who was a longtime Stevenson University trustee, died of sepsis related to a blood infection Friday at Sinai Hospital. The Glyndon resident was 70.

Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of Henry D. Felton III, a Navy commander, and Martha Oberle, a homemaker. He was a 1961 graduate of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va., and earned a political science degree at the Johns Hopkins University in 1965. He also received a diploma from a Rutgers University graduate program.

Mr. Felton joined the old Maryland National Bank as a cashier and rose to become its executive vice president. He worked in its old MBNA credit card operation and retired in 1990.

After leaving the bank, he became president of Youth Services International, a business that worked with troubled youths. He was then chief executive officer of Avatech Solutions Inc., a computer software business. He was also a member of the BB&T Advisory Board and was a co-founder of NovelMaker.

Family members said that colleagues at Maryland National asked Mr. Felton to assist at what was then Villa Julie College. In October 1993, he joined its board and was its vice chair at his death. He also chaired its Audit, Finance, Investment and Property Committee.

During his tenure, the school changed its name to Stevenson University and added a second campus in Owings Mills.

"He was warm, intelligent and supportive of all things at Stevenson," said the university's president, Kevin J. Manning. "He was also well respected by the other board members. He was a good friend of mine and great friend of the university."

School officials said Mr. Felton was credited with ensuring top-notch compliance and auditing standards for Stevenson's business and operations.

"He could motivate anyone to do anything," said his son, David O. Felton of Petaluma, Calif. "His persuasive conversational style was legendary."

A Stevenson spokesperson said Mr. Felton was a financial supporter of the university and contributed to endowed scholarships and professorships, its annual fund and capital campaigns.

He was formerly active on the boards of Jiffy Lube and the Baltimore Opera and Harford Opera companies.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Stevenson University's Rockland Center on the Owings Mills campus.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 48 years, Pamela Oakes Felton; another son, Henry D. "Dirk" Felton V of Albany, N.Y.; two sisters, Barbara Thorne of East Lyme, Conn., and Jane Varano of Bonita Springs, Fla.; and two granddaughters.